XML Data, DTD, and Style Sheet
for
The Training Catalog of Dan Keller Technical Services

We are sharing it with the world because...

• We believe that open source benefits all.

• We hope that eventually our entire industry will equip itself -- as we have done -- to exchange data in this way.

• The application- and platform-neutral nature of XML offers great benefits both to the consumers and to the producers of training products and services.

• We pride ourselves on being on the cutting edge of web technology.

Why Use XML in the Training Industry?

• The creation of third-party services such as clearinghouses, registries, and resellers.

• In-house, corporate training service groups, too, will benefit.

• It will become easier for purchasers of training products and services to see and compare what's available.

• It will become easier for the vendors of those products and services to communicate their offerings to these purchasers.

This is just a beginning!

Our XML Data

• Hyperlinks to the data in XML format including a pointer to a stylesheet.
• Hyperlinks to the raw XML data comprising our training catalog. View these files directly if your browser is equipped to handle them.
• Hyperlinks to text versions of the XML files. Click them to see the raw XML.
• Hyperlinks to HTML versions of the XML data. Each XML file has been converted (via the Saxon XSLP processor and this .bat script to run it) to HTML and can be viewed that way with any browser.

XML Support Files

• Here is a hyperlink to click if you wish to see the style sheet. It is written in XML.

• Here is a link to the text version of the style sheet to click if your browser is not XML-equipped.

• Each XML file is, of course, well-formed and valid.

• Here is the DTD that defines the training industry data elements, attributes, and structure we are proposing (and which was used to validate these XML files.) Note: neither IE5 nor IE6 properly displays DTD files.

• Here is a hyperlink to a text version of the DTD file to click if your browser can't display DTDs.

Feedback

Links

• The Department of Defense has funded the development of the Sharable Content Object Reference Model (SCORM). This is a set of interrelated technical specifications built upon the work of the AICC, IMS and IEEE to create one unified "content model". These specifications enable the reuse of Web-based learning content across multiple environments and products.

• The IEEE Learning Technology Standards Committee (LTSC) is developing technical Standards, Recommended Practices, and Guides for software components, tools, technologies and design methods that facilitate the development, deployment, maintenance and interoperation of computer implementations of education and training components and systems.

• At xml.org there is a good collection of links to documents and organizations applying XML in the education industry.

• Our friends at Saba offer their own proposed XML catalog format specification. It is less detailed than ours, but supports a wider variety of training mechanisms. Ours is oriented towards our own specific needs (classroom and web) whereas Saba's strives to satisfy a wider spectrum of training methods.